


Beauty and the Beast

by Semi_problematic



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-22 12:38:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14308806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Semi_problematic/pseuds/Semi_problematic
Summary: "Bite me." Carl continued walking without looking behind him. He walked like he owned the world. Since Carl had came to the Sanctuary he had been calmer and happier. At the Sancrutary he was protected. He didn't have to protect himself anymore or run around worrying. He could relax and finally be a kid, even though he was going to be 18 soon."I'm trying, but you seem to be more focused on reading." Negan shook his head, following Carl down the stairs. "I can't believe the boy that broke in and tried to kill me is a fucking loser."





	Beauty and the Beast

"You never told me you had a library." Carl was pulling on his shirt, tying his shoes next. "I'm surprised you didn't. I'm surprised you even have one." He glanced over his shoulder at Negan. "I mean, It's not like you read or anything." Negan slapped the back of his head causing Carl to laugh. "Come on, really. Why didn't you tell me?" 

"Because there are zombies outside and I figured that the last thing anyone still alive in this god forsaken world would do is read." Negan shrugged on his jacket and picked up his bat. He rested it on his shoulder and walked around the bed, towards the door. "I regret Simon coming in here and talking about it already." 

"Why?" Carl stood up and ran his fingers through his hair. "I love libraries. They're so calm... and no matter how bad the apocalypse got there were still books around. No one cares about raiding libraries when everyone in your group is starving." He walked out the door, dragging his fingers across the wall. "Why do you have a library?" 

"So there's something for everyone. We got a shooting range outside along with cooking and art shit." Negan shrugged. "People need to have something to do when they aren't working. Not eberyone has a bunch of wives to sleep with." He smiled when Carl punched him in the arm. "Jealousy is cute on you." 

"Bite me." Carl continued walking without looking behind him. He walked like he owned the world. Since Carl had came to the Sanctuary he had been calmer and happier. At the Sancrutary he was protected. He didn't have to protect himself anymore or run around worrying. He could relax and finally be a kid, even though he was going to be 18 soon.

"I'm trying, but you seem to be more focused on reading." Negan shook his head, following Carl down the stairs. "I can't believe the boy that broke in and tried to kill me is a fucking loser." He grabbed Carls arm and stepped in front of him, pushing the doors open to the main room. "Lucille liked reading. She said it was an escape... so I always bought her books." He shrugged, as if he was shrugging away the heaviness of the conversation. "Figured if anyone needs an escape its my people. An apocalypse is happening outside. If a bunch of papers with words on it calms them down, then so be it."

"I agree with her." Carl looked around at all the people. He had only been around for two weeks. Living there. Leading them. They were still nervous in his presence. Wide eyes glazed over in fear with sweaty palms and shaking hands to match. He jumped when Negan yelled at them to get back to work. Carl reached out, grabbing onto the back of Negans jacket without thinking.

Negan chuckled. "You're jumpy." He reached back and pulled Carls hand away. "You're okay, kid, calm down. If anyone lays a hand on you I'll bash their skull in." He pulled Carl into his side, kissing the top of his head. "Daddy takes good care of his baby." 

"If daddy takes such good care of his baby then he would leave his wives." Carl walked out of Negans grip, looking over his shoulder and smirking back at Negan. "Just a thought." He stopped when he reached the end of the room, looking between both doors. "Left or right?" 

"Right, you little shit." Negan was smiling as he walked after Carl, shooting all the men who looked at Carl a warning glare. That kid was Negans and only Negans. Negan wasn't good at sharing. He would make sure Carl was only his even if that meant killing anyone who looks at his boy too long. 

Carl was first to the door, looking back at Negan one last time before turning the knob and walking inside. The room was huge, identical to the one they were just in, except it had many bookcases filled with different colored books. Some were thick and some were thin. Some were bright colors like children's books and others were plain colors like black and white with barely any writing on the spine. Against the walls were the taller bookcases, filled to the brim with books. On the floor the bookcases were lined up in different, thin rows, only wide enough for one person to walk through. There were more books in the room than Carl had ever seen in a library. Then again, it had been years since he saw a normal library.

"You should've asked if this was the right room. What if it was a room full of zombies and you got eaten alive because you didn't ask?" Negan followed him into the room, kicking the door shut. "You could've been killed."

"I always believed that asking for forgiveness is better than asking for permission." Carl walked down one of the aisles, dragging his fingers across the dusty shelves. It was a shame that this room wasn't used more. There had to be hundreds of different stories all inside. And no one had taken the time to read them? Carl couldn't believe it. 

"Well, smart ass, you can't ask for forgiveness when you're getting eaten by zombies." Negan stepped into the aisle next to Carl, smirking as he heard the boy gasp. "You like it?" He rounded the corner and looked at Carl, who was flipping through the pages of one of the books. "You can come down here any time you want." He walked up next to Carl, smiling. "Of Mice and Men? Really?"

Carl elbowed him. "It's a good story. A sad story. And it's a sad story that doesn't have zombies or the world ending." He held the book to his chest. "It's a book that has a normal ending. People can be bad. There's no need for aliens and zombies to end the world." He pushed past Negan, walking into a different aisle. "Humans can do it easily." 

"God." Negan sighed. "Being around you sometimes is a real pain. You know that?" He leaned against one of the bookcases, resting Lucille against the one next to it. 

Carl smiled to himself, never taking his eyes off of the books. With the way it looked it was almost as if he was a kid in a candy store. "I know. I'm a brat and a smart ass and I can be very annoying at times. But don't think you aren't the exact Sam with that temper and those control issues." He peeled his eyes away long enough to look at Negan. 

"Jesus, kid, you're gonna be the death of me." Negan watched as Carl moved up and down the aisle, looking through the rows and rows of books. If Negan had a camera he would take a photo and tuck that photo away in his pocket so he could always have it with him. Carl reminded him of why he did the things he did, good and bad alike. Carl reminded him of why he survived.

"I've been told that a time or two." Carl walked over to Negan and set three books into his arms. "Watch those for me."

"I don't think anyone is gonna steal your books." Negan held them tight in his arms, following Carl around to another bookcase. "I feel like you've been the death of a lot of people. You're a lethal little thing."

"Enough with the compliments." Carl laughed. "You're making me blush." He added another book to Negans stack, sighing. "When we first moved to Alexandria I did a lot of reading. When your men-" Carl shot him a glare. "Came through they took most of my books." He smiled to himself and pulled one out. "Like this." 

"Well, when I had them raid I didn't realize they had a really hot secret weapon under their belt." Negan leaned against the wall, watching Carl collect more books. "You know... all of this is yours now. Whatever you want, Carl, I'll give it to you. You want my men to find something? They will. You have power here." 

"I know." Carl patted a row of books. "But this is what I need. Diamonds and jewels don't do anything for you in the apocalypse." He glanced at Negan, shaking his head. "Why do you keep staring at me?" 

"You remind me of her." Negan set the books down, walking towards him. "She..." He shook his head, smiling. "She loved books more than she loved me. Her favorite was The Outsiders. I guess you could say she had a thing for badasses in leather." 

Carl turned away from the books and wrapped his arms around Negans neck. "Can't say I blame her." He kissed Negan softly before pulling away. 

"The book Fahrenheit 451 terrified her. The idea of books being outlawed... of losing them... she couldn't live through it." Negan shook his head. "She was always stuck up in her mind. Creating things. Imagining things." He looked down at Carl. "She also complained just as much as you do." He laughed when Carl slapped his arm. "And she never took my bullshit. In fact, if I raised my bullshit she would raise hers right back. I could never win an argument, you know that?" 

Carl studied Negans face. "She sounds incredible. I think we could both have some very interesting conversations about you." He turned around and walked into yet another aisle. 

"She's also the only person I know besides you who didn't fear me or back down from me. She invented being hard headed." He pulled a book off of the shelf, flipping through the pages. "She didn't take my shit. If she didn't like what I did, she would tell me..." He put the book back. "She would've ran this place if she was alive, not me." 

Carl nodded, chewing on his cheek. "I hope that means I get to run this place soon." He handed Negan another book. The Outsiders. "I think she would be glad that you finally grew some balls and got your shit together." 

"I'm surprised I did." Negan chuckled. "It was hard for a while. I didn't know what to do... it's hard living without arguing non stop." He ran his fingers through his hair. "But that's enough about my dead wife. She always told me not to mention her once she died. That it would wake her spirit or some shit."

"Her spirit must be pissed." Carl laughed. "This reminds me of Beauty and the Beast, ya know?" Carl spun around, looking all around the room. "I always loved the scene when Belle went into the library. It was so pretty." 

"Didn't know you were so into being a princess?" Negan teased. "If I had known I would have gotten you a tiara." 

"My mom hated it." Carl picked up another book, turning it around and reading the back. "She said it was too girly. She would always buy me books about cars and monsters, but I didn't like those. I wanted happy stories about good guys saving the day and people in love." 

"Did your dad agree with your mom?" 

Carl laughed. It seemed crazy. "They never agreed. My dad didn't see the harm in me reading fairy tales. My mom did. She even made me leave all the books behind when the world... got bad. But when my dad found me..." Carl smiled to himself. "He started telling me the stories again so I could sleep." 

"Maybe he isn't the worst parent." Negan walked towards Carl. "But you did choose me over him. Not to rub it in but... I am so much better." He wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled Carl into his chest. "Get your books. I think this will be good for at least three days." 

Nodding, Carl put the book down and walked over to the wall, picking up his other books. "You know how your different rooms and areas have code names? Like blue and green and light?" 

Negan nodded. "Yeah, I made it like that." He walked out of the library and held the door open for Carl as he walked out.

"I think we should call this Lucille." 

Negan smiled to himself, looking down at the ground. "She would get tired of me saying her name..." He shook his head. "But you can pick the name, make it whatever you want." 

"Make it..." Carl chewed on his cheek. "Beauty." 

"Your princess is showing..." Negan slapped his ass. "Princess." 

"Bite me." Carl replied, slapping Negan with a book. "You're definitely not my prince, more like my beast."

Negan put his hand over his heart. "Ow! That hurt!" 

"Good." Carl smiled. 

And for a moment, with the way the light was shining, he looked like her. Bright eyes. Big smile. She would be proud of them. Negan leaned down and kissed the top of Carls head. She would be proud of Carl.


End file.
